This application seeks support for the fifth symposium on "Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease". This meeting will provide a scientific forum for presenting recent findings related to the cardiovascular effects of air pollutants. This symposium will bring together leading investigators in the area and facilitate interactions and critical discussion in areas related to the mechanisms by which air pollution affects the nature, progression and triggering of vascular diseases. The symposium will be held at the University of Washington in 2010. The participants will include investigators from public and private universities in the US who are actively involved in research in this or a related line of investigation. The goal of this meeting is to collectively define the nature and the scope of the problem related to the cardiovascular effects of environmental pollutants. Although extensive epidemiological studies demonstrate a link between pollution and heart disease, it is unclear how the epidemiological data could be re- examined in relevant laboratory models, and how the cardiovascular effects of pollutants could be studied on a mechanistic basis to establish cause-and-effect relationships. Hence, the major goal of this meeting is to provide a cohesive forum for presenting, evaluating and discussing the latest approaches to understanding the effects of pollutants on cardiovascular health. The first day will feature relevant topic reviews as well as the latest findings from active laboratories. The second day will emphasize consensus-building on underlying mechanisms and fruitful areas for future research. The topics to be covered at the conference span the full spectrum of cardiovascular effects ranging from human and epidemiological studies to molecular and cellular effects by which environmental pollutants affect cardiovascular disease, with a focus on building a consensus on mechanisms underlying toxicity and key future directions for research. The program will feature internationally recognized leaders and talented new investigators from the United States. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality, and air pollutants pose a ubiquitous and involuntary potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This meeting will provide a scientific forum for presenting recent findings related to the cardiovascular effects of air pollutants. This symposium will bring together leading investigators in the area and facilitate interactions and critical discussion in areas related to the mechanisms by which air pollution affects the nature, progression and triggering of vascular diseases.